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MODELS OF DECISION SUPPORT FOR AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE RELATED TO

REPAINTING PROCESSES

Preprint · November 2021

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.25501.64481

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 MODELS OF DECISION SUPPORT FOR AIRCRAFT
MAINTENANCE RELATED TO REPAINTING PROCESSES
Irina Bodrova1,2
1
S7 Engineering LLC Domodedovo Airport, Building 9, Moscow Region 142015, Russia
i.bodrova@s7.ru
2
Transport and Telecommunication Institute, Riga, Latvia

Keywords: Aircraft maintenance, MRO organization, paint stripping, chemical paint strippint, aircraft
repainting.

Aircraft maintenance is the performance of tasks during life cycle required to ensure the
continuing airworthiness of an aircraft, including overhaul, inspection, replacement and defect
rectification. Aircraft paint removal and re-application cycles are important part of the
maintenance operations (W.G.J. 't Hart, 2003).
Current aircraft repainting procedure guidelines generally contain the technology and a
list of applicable materials which have been certified in ideal laboratory conditions. Though,
alternative paint removal methods are developing (Ali Merati, Marko Yanishevsky, Tessa
Despinic, Philip Lo, Vladimir Pankov, 2017), maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO)
organizations still prefer mechanical sanding and chemical stripping. Aircraft paint removal
process is usually based on its maintenance experience. However, the actual repainting cycle
shows that mechanical sanding and chemical stripping can generate potential risks of surface
minor damages including cracks, blendouts and corrosion. On the base of MRO organization, it
is highly required to make a quick decision about choosing the proper method of aircraft
external surface paint removal. Unfortunately, there is a lack of practical oriented systematic
research concerning chemical paint stripping materials, particularly peroxide activated ones.
This article provides taxonomy of methods generally used in MRO organizations for
aircraft external paint removal. Test results of several dozens of aluminum coupons painted with
various schemes and stripped with chemical materials application are described in the paper.
The controlled experiments outside the lab setting were performed with the purpose of detailing
and specification of the main risks which can potentially occur during the aircraft external
surface repainting procedure in case of peroxide activated strippers application. Common
variables such as temperature, humidity, duration of experiment and material composition were
chosen. In the paper the testing results were analyzed in terms of effectiveness and safety for
aircraft maintenance related to repainting process. Based on the experiments performed, the
search of optimal decision support model regarding the paint removal method selection is
provided in this article. Recommendations for the improvement of aircraft maintenance process
in the MRO organizations are formulated in conclusion of the paper.

References
1. Ali Merati, Marko Yanishevsky, Tessa Despinic, Philip Lo, Vladimir Pankov (2017)
Alternate Environmentally Friendly De-Painting Process for Aircraft Structures-
Atmospheric Plasma. Journal of Minerals and Materials Characterization and Engineering,
5, 223-235. DOI: 10.4236/jmmce.2017.54019.
2. W.G.J. 't Hart (2003) Paint Stripping Techniques for Composite Aircraft Components.
National Aerospace Laboratory NLR.

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